Hats off to the Tarblooders
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Eddie Dwyer
Plain Dealer Reporter
Glenville's all-district senior running back Tim Conner said he and his teammates "were against all odds" Saturday night.
But then defying the odds is what Conner and the rest of the Tarblooders are all about.
Glenville, continuing its record-setting season, rallied past nine-time state champion St. Ignatius, 22-14, in the Division I, Region 1 championship football game at Lakewood Stadium. The game attracted a standing-room crowd of nearly 11,000.
In improving their record to 12-1, the Tarblooders became the first football team from the Cleveland Municipal School District to win a regional championship. And they did it front of their former leader, Ohio State freshman sensation Ted Ginn Jr., the son of Glenville head coach Ted Ginn Sr.
The Tarblooders, who are making their fifth postseason appearance since 1999, will face Canton McKinley (10-3) in a state semifinal matchup next Saturday night at 7. The site of the game is expected to be Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.
St. Ignatius, a winner of 12 big-school regional championships since 1988, closed its season at 10-3.
"This means everything to us," said Conner, who rushed for 114 yards and three second-half touchdowns on 23 carries. "We might not have a lot, but we're going to make the most out of what we have."
When it comes to talent and determination, Conner and Co. have more than enough.
Overcoming a first half of missed opportunities, during which the only score came off a fumble recovery in the end zone by St. Ignatius' all-district senior defensive end Jim Ramella, Glenville found its poise late in the third quarter.
After being turned away at the St. Ignatius 6-, 9- and 11-yard lines in the first half, and fumbling the ball away again at the Wildcats' 1 early in the second half, the Tarblooders finally cashed in on a 9-yard touchdown run by Conner with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter.
Clinging to a 7-6 lead, St. Ignatius answered with a seven-play, 79-yard drive. The Wildcats pushed their advantage to 14-6 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Rudy Kirbus to junior wideout Robby Parris and an extra-point kick by senior Adam Danko with 11:11 remaining to be played.
After Ray Small's 79-yard return with the ensuing kickoff was wiped out by a penalty, the Tarblooders refused to become discouraged.
Instead, Glenville regrouped and put together an 82-yard scoring march that was capped by a 1-yard TD run by Conner and a game-tying, two-point conversion pass from junior quarterback Arvell Nelson to Small with 6:41 left.
Then the Tarblooders' defense, which limited St. Ignatius' vaunted passing game to four completions in 13 attempts and just 83 yards, came up big again by stripping the ball from Kirbus and pouncing on it at the Glenville 49.
From there, Conner did most of the damage as the 5-10, 185-pound power back fought his way into the end zone from 8 yards out.
Another two-point conversion pass by Nelson made it 22-14 with just over three minutes left.
"At halftime, we just told them to keep playing defense," said Ted Ginn Sr., who earlier in the day watched his son lead Ohio State past Michigan. "Yeah, just keep playing defense and something good was bound to happen for the Cleveland public schools."
And Ginn Sr.'s defense, which along with Conner's second-effort running drew the praise of St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle, put the icing on the victory cake with an interception by all-district senior linebacker Freddie Lenix, a sack by all-district senior end Curtis Smith and a game-ending interception by junior two-way back Ray Fisher.
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